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NAHL New Mexico Ice Wolves

Head Coach and General Manager Phil Fox to Depart Ahead of 2024-2025 Season

July 19, 2024 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
New Mexico Ice Wolves News Release


(Albuquerque, NM) Friday - The New Mexico Ice Wolves© today announced that the team's first-ever head coach and general manager Phil Fox will depart for a tremendous opportunity with Northern Michigan University Wildcats NCAA Division I ice hockey program where he will join the program as assistant coach. In his five seasons with the NM Ice Wolves Fox led the organization to three straight winning seasons including two playoff appearances as well as 47 players making college hockey commitments during his tenure. Fox led the team to a 2021-2022 South Division Playoff Championship title as well as its first ever trip to the Robertson Cup National Championship. After that same season Fox earned North American Hockey League (NAHL) Coach of the Year honors as well as leading the team to a franchise record 38 wins during the regular season. Fox was named head coach of the South Division team at the 2022 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament. In Fox's inaugural season the NM Ice Wolves were named NAHL South Division Organization of the Year and following the team's second season the team was honored as the NAHL Organization of the Year.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had during my time with the New Mexico Ice Wolves organization. Being a part of creating a growing hockey community in the state has been nothing short of amazing," said Phil Fox. "New Mexico has been a wonderful place for me, where I have not only grown in my career but also started a family. My wife and I want to express our heartfelt appreciation to Stan and Jennifer Hubbard, who have been truly amazing and supportive throughout this journey. I am excited to move on to the next chapter of my coaching career."

"We are tremendously grateful to Phil and his family for their commitment to our community and for his contributions to our organization as he was vital in helping us build and grow the program and the game in New Mexico at every level starting with the youth program," said Stan E. Hubbard, owner of the New Mexico Ice Wolves and Outpost Ice Arenas. "We thank Phil for his dedication to the players leading their development both on and off the ice and for his work supporting the entire New Mexico ice sports community. The ladder of development in the NAHL is as important for coaches as it is for players, and we will follow Phil's progress as he takes on a new coaching challenge at the NCAA Division I level."

"Phil has done great job in building New Mexico into one the best organizations in the NAHL," said Dave Shyiak, Head Coach of the Northern Michigan University Wildcats ice hockey team. "He is a first-class person with a great work ethic. His head coaching experience with New Mexico as well as being an NMU alum has made him a great fit for our program. We are excited for Phil and his family in making the move to Northern Michigan."

The New Mexico Ice Wolves have named Kevin Hartzell as interim head coach and general manager while the team looks for a permanent replacement. The coaching and support structure that was created by Phil Fox will remain intact and the team will not miss a beat as it continues its preparation for the upcoming season. Hartzell will work closely with owner Stan Hubbard to evaluate all head coach and GM options as part of an orderly process. A St. Paul native and forward for the University of Minnesota from 1978-82, Hartzell coached and served as GM in the USHL from 1983-89 with the St. Paul Vulcans and from 2005-12 with the Sioux Falls Stampede becoming the winningest coach in USHL history with a 224-152-44 record over seven seasons. He was the head coach of Lillehammer in Norway's GET-Ligaen professional league from 2012-14 and has served in his capacity of Senior Advisor to the NM Ice Wolves since the organization's inception in 2019.

A native of Stillwater, Minnesota, Fox has rich hockey history including playing in the NAHL during his junior career and playing for Northern Michigan University followed by four years of professional hockey. Prior to working as the NM Ice Wolves head coach and general manager Fox spent two seasons behind the bench as head coach of the NM Ice Wolves Bantam A/AA travel team in addition to being Vice President of the New Mexico Ice Hockey Foundation (NM Ice) and Director of Hockey for Outpost Ice Arenas. Prior to that Fox spent the 2016-2017 season as Assistant Coach of the Stillwater Ponies high school varsity team and Director of Player Development for the Stillwater Area Hockey Association in Minnesota. Before coaching in Stillwater, Fox spent two years as the Director of Hockey Operations at Northern Michigan University.

Before his coaching career Fox played four years of professional hockey first with the Central Hockey League's (CHL) Texas Brahmas. During his rookie season in 2011 he scored 43 points (19g-24a) and posted a +11 rating in 59 games. The next year, he played in 44 games and notched 34 points (21g-13a). The Brahmas made the playoffs in 2012 and Fox notched three goals in nine postseason games. After spending a little time with the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros, Fox returned to the CHL and played 39 games for the Allen Americans scoring 24 points (12g-12a). The Americans won the Ray Miron President's Cup two years in a row marking just the third time in CHL history that a team had won back-to-back league titles.

Prior to playing professionally Fox played for Northern Michigan University from 2007-2011 with three of those years as captain and recording 65 points (40g-25a). With 155 games under his belt Fox ranks 21st in Northern Michigan hockey history for games played. Fox started his hockey career with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL in 2003 and then spent two years in the NAHL with the Fargo Moorhead Jets.

The sixth season in the NAHL for the New Mexico Ice Wolves begins at home as the NM Ice Wolves host the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (US NTDP) on Friday, September 13, 2024 at 6:30pm MT and Saturday, September 14, 2024, at 6:30pm MT. The national team is comprised of some of the most elite American ice hockey players in junior hockey. The following weekend the NM Ice Wolves open their regular season kicking off the NAHL's highly competitive South Division, affectionately known as the Dirty South, against the Corpus Christi IceRays. Full season and partial season tickets for NM Ice Wolves home games are now on sale through tickets@nmicewolves.com with full season ticket holders receiving tickets for both games against US NTDP while half season ticket holders will have access to one of the US NTDP games.

Current season ticket holders are being contacted directly for renewals. After that process is complete, new season ticket packages will become available for purchase at the team's ticket website, https://tickets.nmicewolves.com/. Season ticket holders receive a guaranteed seat for all 30 NM Ice Wolves home games in the regular season, priority access to playoff tickets and priority renewal. Season tickets start at $770 for reserved stadium chair seats, and $420 for bleacher seats. With the purchase of a full season package, you'll receive an NA3HL Season Pass for best seats available on game day. Season tickets can be contracted using a payment plan that is available when finalizing. For accessible and companion seating please contact tickets@nmicewolves.com.

Partial season tickets (14 games) start at $385 for reserved stadium chair seats and $210 for bleacher seats with bonus tickets to one US NTDP game. Partial season tickets are also available in a six-game flex pack, $165 for stadium chair seats and $90 for bleacher seats. As soon as they are available, single game tickets will go on sale and will be available for purchase at the team's ticket website.

The team has two hospitality suites available on a single game basis. Suites come with light snacks and fountain drinks, and catering options are available for an additional charge. The Land of Enchantment Suite starts at $499 and seats 32, and the Sandia Suite starts at $599 and seats 42. Anyone interested in reserving a suite for a group or special event can contact tickets@nmicewolves.com for more information.

A new season also means new opportunities for local families in Albuquerque to become a unique and crucial part of the NM Ice Wolves by becoming a host family for a player. Hosting a player can be an exciting and rewarding experience that often leads to lifelong friendships between the player and his host family. To learn more about becoming a host family and frequently asked questions please visit: https://www.nmicewolves.com/you-can-make-a-difference-become-a-new-mexico-ice-wolves-host-family

All NAHL games are live on NATV through a monthly or annual subscription, there is also a pay-as-you-go option to pay per game. To learn more about the NM Ice Wolves please visit their NAHL Team Page or on social media on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and the arena at www.outposticearena.com. For team media inquiries, please contact Aaron Martinez at 505-212-8762 or amartinez@reelz.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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